Hobbies And Interests
Program Launch
The U.S. Mint adopted the 50 State Quarters program as a 10-year initiative that would eventually recognize all 50 of the states. George Washington is still on the face of the quarter, but a different design for each state appears on the reverse side. Each state quarter was produced for approximately 10 weeks. After the Mint ceased production of each state's design, that design was removed from production and will never be produced again.
Order of the State Quarters
The Mint produced state quarters in the order in which each state either ratified the constitution or was admitted into the Union. Thus, the first five states to have state quarters produced were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut. The Mint coined their quarters in 1999. The last five states to be honored were Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. The Mint produced five state quarters per year over the 10 years of the program.
State Quarter Designs
Each state quarter includes the name of the state, the year in which the state ratified the Constitution or was admitted to the Union and the year in which the quarter was minted. In addition, each state quarter has a different design celebrating the state's heritage and its value to the United States. Many states' designs include animals, such as the Alaska grizzly bear and the Washington king salmon. Other states, such as Texas, include a silhouette of the shape of the state. Many states include their state motto, such as Utah's motto, "Crossroads of the West."
Other Quarter Programs
The 50 State Quarters program is not the first time the Mint has used quarters to commemorate a place or event. Quarters minted in 1975 and 1976 bore a bicentennial design of a colonial drummer and victory torch encircled by 13 stars. In 2010, the Mint launched the America the Beautiful Program, honoring national parks and other national sites of distinction.